The Triple Split 424.025F is the third version of what A. Lange & Söhne describes as the only mechanical split-seconds chronograph in the world able to take comparative and intermediate times over several hours. Presented in early September 2026 at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace and limited to 100 individually numbered pieces, it follows the original White Gold model of 2018 and a Rose Gold edition of 2021, and it is the first Triple Split cased in Platinum. A conventional split-seconds chronograph can separate only its seconds hands; Lange's Double Split of 2004 extended that ability to the minutes, and the Triple Split carries it further still, to the hours, so that two events that start together can be compared across a period of up to twelve hours. The Platinum edition pairs this extraordinary mechanism with a rhodium-coloured dial of silver and darker grey counters, a cool, graphic combination often described as a panda dial and one that neither of the earlier versions offered. It is, in every sense, the summit of Lange's chronograph work, presented in the manufacture's most prestigious case metal.
The Platinum case measures 43.2 mm in diameter and 15.6 mm in height, dimensions dictated by the complexity of the movement and by the need to keep its many indications legible. It combines polished and brushed surfaces with the purposeful look of a professional instrument, and it carries the chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock together with a split-seconds pusher at 10 o'clock. The dial is made of solid silver with a rhodium finish, and its recessed counters are finished in a darker grey that stands out clearly against the pale main surface. Three subdials record the elapsed hours and minutes and the running seconds, the latter at 8 o'clock, while at 6 o'clock an indicator shows how much of the movement's 55-hour reserve remains. Each timing function has a pair of hands: rhodium-plated hands for the chronograph and blued steel hands for the split-seconds function, which separate from their partners when the split pusher is pressed. A tachymeter scale surrounds the dial, and applied gold hour markers plated in rhodium complete it. The watch is worn on a brown alligator strap with a Platinum deployant buckle that can be released quickly for a change of strap.
The hand-wound movement consists of 567 parts and is controlled by two column wheels, one for the chronograph and one for the split-seconds mechanism. Its chronograph offers the flyback function and the instantly jumping minute counter that have defined Lange chronographs since 1999. What sets it apart is the triple split. When the split pusher is pressed during a measurement, the rattrapante hands for the seconds, the minutes and the hours all stop together, recording an intermediate time, while the chronograph hands continue to run. A second press sends the three split hands forward to rejoin the running hands, a movement that for the hour and minute hands requires a sophisticated system of isolating and catching-up mechanisms. The result allows comparisons over up to twelve hours, far beyond the thirty or sixty minutes of conventional split-seconds chronographs. Through the sapphire caseback, the architecture of levers, wheels and column wheels is fully visible, finished with German silver plates and bridges, Glashütte ribbing, a hand-engraved balance cock and screwed gold chatons, and like all Lange movements it is assembled twice before it is cased.
A. Lange & Söhne's chronograph history began in 1999 with the Datograph, and the manufacture soon became known for pushing the complication further than almost anyone else. The Double Split of 2004 was the first wristwatch able to split both the seconds and the minutes, and it paved the way for the Triple Split, which appeared in 2018 as the first mechanical watch capable of split timing over several hours. The White Gold original, with a Silver dial, was followed in 2021 by a Rose Gold edition with a blue dial, each limited to 100 pieces. Eight years after its debut, the 2026 Platinum version gives the model its third and most restrained livery. Presenting it at a classic car concours, where Lange has long been a partner, underlined the connection between high mechanical performance and timing, a theme that runs naturally through the history of the chronograph. Within the Lange collection the Triple Split stands alone, the most advanced rattrapante the manufacture has ever made, and the Platinum 424.025F is its most exclusive expression to date.
The 424.025F appeals to collectors who want the ultimate expression of chronograph mechanics from A. Lange & Söhne. With only 100 numbered pieces, it is rare, and as the only split-seconds chronograph capable of multi-hour comparative timing, it is unique in function as well as in appearance. Its Platinum case and rhodium and grey dial give it a technical, understated character that suits both formal and professional settings, and its size provides a strong but balanced presence on the wrist. It will interest collectors of complicated chronographs, owners of the Datograph or Double Split who want the next step, and those who value movements of true mechanical ambition. For a collection built around Lange's greatest achievements, it is an essential reference; for enthusiasts of watchmaking at its most complex, it represents a benchmark that remains unmatched.
